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How you can create a self improvement plan in just 13 steps.
Do you want to be better?
Do you know how to be a better person?
How many things have you tried to be better?
You are reading this so I know you want to be better. Me too!
I know you have read, heard, and tried a bunch of different things to make your life better. Me too!
I found this program from a survival specialist named Jack Spirko. He runs The Survival Podcast and I have been listening to him for years. Not because I’m preparing for the end of the world, but because I want to be better today. He does a bunch of shows on self-help and business.
He is not a self-help guru or business that tells other people how to have a business as their way to make money. He actually makes a living from his podcast and does the self-improvement and business stuff on the side to help people.
I do this self-improvement thing on the side as a way to help people. And really it’s my journey to becoming a better person.
I’ve worked these 13 steps to self-improvement for the last month and have been more productive and feeling better then I have in the last couple of months.
Most of the steps are just asking yourself questions and then writing down the answers.
I know, like you, it seems too easy to work. But is it too easy to try? Give it a try and see how it works for you.
Step 1:
What don’t you want in your life?
Get a notebook and write it down. Everything you can think of. Take a couple of minutes and think about it. What is your life right now that you don’t want to be a part of your life. It could be people, feelings, things, or lack of things.
My list started with obesity, hypertension, debt, laziness, and sadness. Don’t steal my list, make your own.
What is in your life that you don’t want in your life?
Step 2
What do you want in your life?
Generally, you can start with a list of opposites from the step before. But what things, feelings, people, and statues do you want in your life.
I started with physical fitness, money, and joy.
Your list could be a simple inverse of Step 1 or could be as long as the things you can imagine. Sit down and write down your list.
What do you want in your life?
Step 3
Where do you want to build a life? Why?
If you could pick anywhere in the world to live, work, and have a life, where would it be? Now, what are the things that you really want from that place?
If you want to live on a beach, why? If you want to live in the mountains, why?
My sister lives in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Central California because she loves hiking, running, mountain biking, and snowboarding. She lives there because she can go out her front door and start hiking up a mountain.
List the things that you want from that place. Now start thinking of someplace realistic you could be in your situation to have as many of those things as you want. Where would that be?
I live on the outskirts of San Antonio because I love Texas and the people. I want access to my own shooting range and places I can go to shoot competitions. I would love to have land that I can shoot and hunt on. But that is unrealistic for me because I have to make a living and my wife loves the city and having people around her. So I found a range I can be a member of 30 minutes from my house where I can go any time I want and have a bunch of privileges that non-members to have. The membership makes it more like having my own private range.
How can you get the most important things on your list realistically? What location would that be? What State or Country would live at? Near What?
Where do you want to live and why?
Step 4
Start writing “How can I …” questions based on the three steps above.
Your mind is the most powerful computer known. It can figure things out if you let it.
Write down questions like “How can I have my own range?” if that’s one of the things on your list like mine.
More of my list looks like
- How can I be physically fit?
- How can I have more money?
- How can I have a job I love?
- How can I get rid of obesity?
- How can I help more people?
- How do I get rid of debt?
Once you write them down, or as you are writing them down, put a note there on how to answer the question.
Leave some space between each question so you can come back and add more notes later.
As you write the questions down your mind starts working in the background on how to answer that question. Let it run wild and come up with an answer for you.
How can I _____ ?
Step 5
Develop a Financial Plan
More than just a budget, but that’s a good place to start. Check out Dave Ramsey on how to do that.
Once you have your budget, start working on what else you want money for?
Work on a tax plan so you give less money to the government. Not illegal stuff, but things you qualify for under that law. How can you pay less taxes this year then you did last year?
What do you want your financial situation to look like five years from now?
How are you going to get there.
Develop your financial plan.
Step 6
Make a list for everything you have and are grateful for and everything you love about your life.
I know this can be hard. But start out with the simplest things if you can’t think of anything. Do you have all your body parts? There are people that don’t and if you look at a quadriplegic you might be grateful that can move your arms and legs.
Do you have a job? Do they pay you? Do you have a family? Others don’t. Do you have a place to live? A roof over your head? Do you have food on the table?
Nothing is too small to be grateful for. Make a list, not everything, but take 15 to 20 minutes and make a list of everything you can think of. Leave some space and add to the list as you go.
What are you grateful for?
13 Steps to Self Improvement To Be Continued…
Next week will be the second half of the list.
For now, get started on the list. If you did one question a day it would give you time to reflect and think about it.
I started a new notebook, but a piece of paper could work or even an app on your phone. I prefer to write things down.
You can also get your free 13 Steps to Self Improvement Guide and Worksheet here.